When it comes to technology you can’t help but think of Elon Musk. He is one of the richest men in the world. Musk was the first to go back to space, he has created roofing tiles that act as solar panels and has now put his name to “Wi-Fi from outer space” in “Starlink”.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is a mesh of low earth orbiting satellites transmitting low latency microwave broadband to properties in the UK. Since 2018, Musk has launched more than 2,000 of these satellites.
Why is this of interest? Broadband connectivity has always involved digging up your road, laying a pipe and then relaying the road, usually very badly.
Over 80% of homes in the homes in the UK still do not enough broadband speed to watch high-definition television programmes. Considering Openreach have been putting cables into the ground for over 50 years, what Starlink have achieved in 5 years is staggering.
What does that mean for me?
Only 5 million homes in the UK have high-speed internet. In Scotland, this is less than 5% of all homes. So, Elon Musk is launching satellites into space to provide high-speed internet to as many people as he can.
The main internet service providers in the UK charge around £50/month for their service. The average speed is 12 megabits per second. However, if you wanted speeds more than 100 megabits per second that cost could be as high as £90/month. However, higher speeds are not available to most UK households.
Starlink charges £89/month and guarantees speeds more than 100 Mbps. They can supply the service in as little as two weeks. They don’t need to dig up any roads and you don’t need a box bolted to the front of your house.
Is It Reliable?
In a word, yes.
What About Speed?
At the end of 2021, Starlink was offering speeds of up to 100Mbps in 15 countries although Musk has said that he wants to offer speeds of as much as 300Mbps.
There are still parts of the UK that suffer from painfully slow speeds and so, this might be the solution they are looking for. Fortunately, we have the expertise and the knowledge to be able to install Starlink connectivity for those who are looking for high-speed broadband. This will include the setting up of the satellite dish as well as the installation of the router and all cabling, all of which will help you to benefit from better speeds.